SMC Tollways will be free on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve

Holiday traffic is back, and most would want to head out of town as early as possible. However, this bit of news could mean leaving or entering the metro on Christmas and New Year's eve might not be such a bad idea after all.

SMC Infrastructure has announced they are waiving all toll fees at STAR Tollway, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX and TPLEX on Christmas and New Year's eve, as part of their yearly tradition of granting motorists temporary free access to all their expressways.

The toll holiday will begin at 10:00 PM of December 24 until 6:00 AM of December 25 for Christmas Eve. On New Year's Eve, the same schedule will be followed from December 31 10:00PM to January 1, 2023 6:00 AM.

SMC Infra says they have already deployed additional personnel and ambulant tellers to speed up toll plaza processes and minimize the buildup of traffic. In addition, SMC Infra says there's good feedback with their latest initiative to reduce traffic chokepoints on toll plazas with the Seamless Southern Tollways program, which reduced the need for northbound and southbound motorists to do multiple toll stops within the expressways.

“We’ve been seeing good results the first two weeks. Smoother traffic flow has been observed, and we’re hoping this will translate to a better driving and travel experience overall for many motorists this holiday season,” said SMC President Ramon Ang.

With that said, SMC Infra is still advising motorists to plan their trips ahead to avoid lengthy delays and get to their destination safely for the holidays.